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June 28, 2012

The T-50 was developed by Korea Aerospace Industries, Ltd., with
cooperation and global marketing support from Lockheed Martin. Both
firms were aware that many training aircraft fleets are aging, even as
higher-performance fighters demand trainer aircraft that can keep up.
The Korean government needed a fleet of trainers, and saw an opportunity
to give their aerospace sector a strong boost in the process. Total
investment in the T-50’s RDT&E program amounted to more than $2
billion: 70% from the Korean government, 17% from KAI, and 13% from
Lockheed Martin.

With a length of 43 feet and a wingspan of 30 feet, the 2-seat T-50
is about 4 feet shorter than the F-16; overall, it’s only about 80% of
the F-16’s size. The relative size of the control surfaces and tails are
larger, however, to improve handling characteristics at lower speeds
and make the aircraft easier to land. Larger landing gear is also
fitted, to absorb harder landings, which is to be expected from student
pilots. Its form’s resemblances to Lockheed Martin’s F-16 are
suggestive, and include the blended mid-set wing, complete with
leading-edge root extensions and rear ‘shelf’ fairings ending in
F-16-style split airbrakes.

June 27, 2012

The INS Sindhurakshak submarine came off the slips at the Zvezdochka
shipyard in Severodvinsk on Saturday, marking the completion of a
mid-life refit programme for the Indian Navy’s Kilo-class
diesel-electric submarines in Russia.

During a two-year in-depth modernisation the torpedo-firing INS
Sindhurakshak, built in 1997, has been equipped with the tube-launched
Club-S cruise missiles effective against surface vessels and submarines
at a range of about 200 km. It has also been provided with some
Indian-made systems, including a hydro-acoustic "USHUS" complex, a
CCS-MK radio-communication system and Porpoise Electronic Support
Measures. After going through sea trials and firing tests the submarine
will be handed over to the Indian Navy later this year.

The INS Sindhurakshak is the seventh and the last of the 10 Kilo-class
submarines that India bought from Russia between 1986 and 2000 to have
undergone mid-term repairs and modernisation in Russia. Of the remaining
three submarines one was repaired in India and the two others are
currently under repair in India.

Even as Russia prepares to deliver the last retrofitted submarine to
India, Russia’s top shipbuilding official has come up with the idea of a
second mid-life repair of the Indian Navy’s Kilo-class submarines. “A second repair will add another 5 to 7 or even 10 years to the
submarines’ scheduled 20-year service life,” said Andrei Dyachkov,
Director General of Sevmash shipyard, who is expected to take over as
the head of the United Shipbuilding Corporation, which controls 70 per
cent of Russia’s s shipbuilding assets, next month. “This will help the
Indian Navy maintain its submarine strength in view of delays in the
induction of French-built Scorpene subs and in floating a tender for six
more diesel-electric submarines,” he said.

June 14, 2012

Indian army's 23rd Battalion, Punjab Regiment comprising on 100 soldiers bravely took on and decimated Pakistan Army's 22nd Cavalry consisting of Chinese build T-59 tanks and a sqaudron of US built Sherman Tanks

Indian Army 23rd Punjab Regiment

A Chinese-built T-59
tank, of Pakistan's 22nd Cavalry, destroyed by RCL gunners of the 23 Punjab.

one of the three HAL Marut used by the IAF against Pakistani armour at Longewala

June 12, 2012

At this rate of crashes there will be no PAF left in the next 2-3 years

ISLAMABAD, June 12 -- A Pakistan air force training plane
crashed on Tuesday afternoon in country's southwestern province of
Balochistan, local media and officials said.

Both pilots on board, one instructor and a trainee, were safe in the
incident as they ejected from the plane before it crashed, Pakistan air
force (PAF) spokesman told media. Earlier reports said that both pilots went missing after the plane crashed.

Local Urdu TV channels quoted PAF official as saying that the
training plane crashed at about 02:30 p.m. local time in Othal area of
Hub district in Balochistan province. The plane took off from the PAF Base Masroor, Pakistan's largest
airbase located in Mauripur area of southern port city of Karachi.

Squadron Leader Iqbal was flying the jet that was
on a training mission along with other aircrafts.

A helicopter was sent to locate the debris and the
pilot.

The Mirage training jet was on a routine training flight over the Hub district when it crashed.
According to PAF spokesman, they have started investigations about the matter. Local media reported that huge fire erupted when the plane hit the ground. Civil and army rescue teams and fire fighters rushed to the crash site. PAF has seen a rise in air crashes in recent months.

On May 17, at least four pilots were killed and five people were
injured when two PAF trainer planes crashed after bumping into each
other on a training mission in Nowshera, a district some 100 km
northwest of the country's capital Islamabad. ________________________________________

Another F7 aircraft damaged in Quetta one week ago on Tuesday 5th June 2012

QUETTA: An aircraft of Pakistan Air Force (PAF) caught fire in
Samungli Airbase on Tuesday.

According to official sources, the aircraft was being repaired at the airbase
when it caught fire with a huge blast. Firefighters, however, put out the fire.
Sources said that due to the fire the aircraft was badly damaged while three
personnel of PAF identified as Rizwan, Ansar and Kashif received minor burn
injuries.

“Two blasts occurred soon after the aircraft caught fire,” sources said, adding
that the F-7 aircraft was being repaired when the incident occurred. Later, a
technical team examined the plane to determine the cause of fire.

June 7, 2012

Chinese ASN Unmanned Reconnaissance Aerial Vehicle model photos below

Hamdy Weheba, the Chairman of the Arab Organization for
Industrialization claimed this week that Egypt has started the
production of the ASN-209 Multi-purpose UAV System.He claimed that
although the UAVs are being built in collaboration with a foreign
defence manufacturer, more than 99% of the components are locally
manufactured. He claimed that with the latest manufacturing venture,
Egypt is entering in to the second phase of mass ASN-209 production. He
said that the six drones which they had built during the first phase are
fully operational under the Egyptian armed forces.

The drone was
developed by ASN Technology Group, which is a specialized Unmanned
Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Research and development company based in China.
ASN claims that their UAV is capable of performing aerial
reconnaissance, battle field survey, target location, destroy validation
and artillery fire adjustment. It is capable of undertaking night time
operations as well. According to the ASN officials, the UAV is capable
of undertaking missions which require it to be on air continuously for
up to 10 hours. The UAV is having an operational range of 125 miles and
is capable of supervising very large areas.

June 4, 2012

India venturing on a path of weaponize space and also working on Anti-Satellite weapons

NEW DELHI: The Indian Navy is finally set to get their first-ever dedicated military satellite, a naval surveillance and communications one, as part of their long-standing quest to effectively harness the final frontier of space. The geo-stationary naval satellite has "already been shipped out'' for its launch that will take place "within a month or so", government sources said.

A not-too-subtle indicator of the space event in the offing was also the creation of a new post of assistant chief of naval staff (communications, space and network-centric operations) at the Navy head-quarters over the weekend.Though tight-lipped about the "over-the-sea" satellite's launch, the Navy said a communications and electronic warfare specialist, had taken over as the new ACNS (CSNCO) in keeping with its endeavour to transform from a "platform-centric Navy'' to a "network-enabled Navy''.

The satellite, with an over 1,000 nautical mile footprint over the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) stretching from Africa's east coast right till Malacca Strait, will enable the Navy to network all its warships, submarines and aircraft with operational centres ashore through high-speed data-links.There is an urgent need to keep real-time tabs over the rapidly-militarizing IOR, where China is increasingly expanding its strategic footprint, as well as on troop movements, missile silos, military installations and airbases across land borders.

The long-delayed naval satellite is to be followed by ones for the Army and IAF for "over-the-land use''. In absence of dedicated satellites, the armed forces have so far depended on "dual-use'' Indian satellites as well as lease of transponders on foreign ones for their navigation, communication, surveillance and reconnaissance purposes.